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Richard MacDonagh
Richard MacDonagh (TheIrishBrigade) is an unregistered citizen of Columbia. He is currently awaiting baptism. He is an Irish - American who has previously served in the American Civil War in the 23rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment, Company D and served in the Eastern Theater. His father is Irish and his mother, German. Richard is born Tone Deaf, and Color Blind, he can't tell the difference in any colors except for Red, Green, Blue, and Yellow and has a hard time hearing music, which affected the way he fought in battle during the Civil War. He couldn't hear the drums that would commonly send the regiment into battle, which is why he followed his officer and the Color Sergeants into battle instead of the drums. Origins Richard is an only child who was born to his father, Patrick MacDonagh, and his mother Sarah MacDonagh (Formerly Smith.) His father later went on to fight in the Mexican - American War and came home in 1848 alive, and safe. His mother was a school teacher in Math and English. Military Service Just months after the American Civil War broke out, Richard enlisted in the 23rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment, Company D, 1st Battalion, 2nd Division, 2nd Army Corps, Army of the Potomac, June 11, 1861 when the regiment was first organized and started recruiting men age 17 - 45. The regiment was 950 - 1,200 men strong. Richard answered his nation's call to arms and enlisted in the Union Army. He first saw combat September of 1861 at the Battle of Carniex Ferry in Nicholas County, what is now in West Virgnia, where his regiment engaged against Confederate Infantry near a small small river in a wooded area. After 3 hours of tough resistance, the Confederates withdrawed from the battlefield and regrouped somewhere else. He later saw action in Maryland during Robert E. Lee's Invasion of the North in Maryland. He was at the Battle of South Mountain (Union Victory), and then later at the Battle of Anteitam (Another Union Victory) in a farmer's field southeast of the town of Sharpsburg. Then in 1863, he saw action in Kentucky, Indinana, and Ohio against Brigadier General John Morgan's Confederate Cavalry which was later called "Morgan's Raid" who were also invading the North. The regiment never took part in Chancellorsville and Gettysburg that year due to the conflicts with the Confederate Cavalry invading the Midwest. He later helped tear apart the last Confederate Railroad connecting to Tennessee and Virginia at the Battle of Cloyd's Mountain. (Union Victory.) And then took part in a battle by taking the town of Lynchburg, Virginia what is now the Battle of Lynchburg which ended in a Confederate Victory who had successfully held off 16,000 Union Soldiers, uncluding the men of the 23rd Ohio Infantry. His final battle was during the Shenandoah Valley Campaign where the 23rd took part in both the Battle of Fisher's Hill and Cedar Creek which were both successful Union Victories in Late - 1864. After that, the regiment served on guard duty and did drills in Colubmus, Ohio for the rest of the war. Richard was later mustered out in June of 1865 with the rank of Sergeant, Medal of Honor, Expert Marksman Medal, Union Army Veteran Medal, Civil War Campaign Medal, and had a total of 316 kills. Post - War Life After the war, Richard came from to Kettering with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder which left him paronoid due to the feice attacks from Confederate Infantry, Cavalry, and Geurillas during his service in the Union Army. But he still lived a very peaceful and happy life and enjoyed every second of it. He raised a family, and had three sons, and two daughters. All three of his sons went to West Point and became officers, later serving in the Spanish - American War and World War I. His two daughters became house wives and school teachers on the Great Plains. A New Eden WIP